It’s the National Championship Game for Notre Dame

There was a customer in my store this weekend who recently moved to Long Island from Florida. I was helping her get acquainted with some of the cold-weather running gear she’s sure to need for the first time this year. She was mostly practical in her choices, but with one minor caveat. “Oh, I can’t wear that color red. That’s Georgia Bulldog red and I’m a Gator.” She was referring to college football of course, a sport that she said few people in her new home seemed to care much for, compared to the rabid fans she left in the South. She quickly noted that college football was second class this time of year, as New York is a professional football kind of town (eventually she’ll learn it’s really a baseball town).

But this customer found the right person to complain to. I’m an alumnus of Notre Dame, a place as crazy about college football as any other. While I might not be the type of person to avoid wearing a shirt because it sports rival USC’s colors, I definitely am the type of person to pick one because it’s gold and blue. Part of the reason I wanted to attend Notre Dame to begin with was because I rooted for their football team as a little kid (although I wouldn’t have admitted that as a high school senior). I knew what she was talking about. Our little interaction gave me a chance to brag a little bit on one of the most fun seasons of rooting for a team I’ve ever had, and the best that ND has had since I got hooked in the late eighties.

With a win over aforementioned rival USC this weekend, the Fighting Irish capped off an undefeated regular season and secured themselves a spot in the national title game on Jan. 7. This is a really big deal to me. Since my freshman year in 2001, the best ND has done has been a few three-loss seasons. I’ve talked to alumni who told me they went their entire undergraduate careers with fewer than three losses. I grew up watching teams that won the national championship in 1988 and finished second in 1989 and 1993 (and in the case of 1993, a debatable second at that, but that’s an entire post itself). To be back in the title hunt has been so much fun.

College football is such a large part of the experience at Notre Dame. Everyone goes to the games, knows the traditions and talks about it continuously. When the team is doing poorly, it can really damped the mood on campus. When the team is doing well, there’s an electricity in the air that’s hard to explain. Part of the love affair at the school comes from the history Notre Dame has as one of the classic , successful programs. A second part however, can’t be understated. The football players all live mixed in the dorms with the rest of the student body, meaning that just about everybody at the school has a few people on the team that they can legitimately count as friends.

Notre Dame's defense has been tough all year

As an alum, the feeling is no different. Following the team keeps old classmates who have spread out across the country in contact and helps keep ties to your undergraduate experience alive. This year has been the best one by far since I graduated, and to see the excitement and read the good-natured mass emails amongformer dorm mates has been particularly satisfying.

Regardless of what happens in early January, this will be a season worth remembering. I do believe Notre Dame has a great shot at the title game (despite what my customer’s old SEC neighbors might think), deferring to the old adage “defense wins championships.” Nobody’s defense has been as stingy as that of the Irish this year. Plus, the team already has earned the distinction of being the only team to play in the BCS National Title game and be first in the country in “Graduation Success Rate,” a merit to be legitimately proud of.

When the week of Jan. 7 rolls around, most Long Islanders and New Yorkers will likely be concerned with the Giants’ next playoff opponent or discussing the NFL wild-card games. There will be at least one of us, though, who puts college football first. Go Irish!